Thank you once more... everyweek I begin my email by thanking everyone for their emails and strengthing power they give me but really if only you knew how much this means to us missionaries to hear from our loved ones back home even if we cant respond directly to each email we recieve know that they are being read and feasted upon... ecspecially by me haha. Mom Dad Happy Aniva... ok I dont remeber how to spell that word by Happy 33 years of being married haha! I love you both and thank you for your wonderful example. I hope to be half as amazing as you two are someday. Your emails are so uplifting Mom you talked about how the Church will read D&C, I actually just finished D&C about 3 weeks ago and let me tell you it has some amazing doctrine and revelations for everyone. I read it before in seminary but sadly, to be honest, I didnt truely seek the inspiration to understand its teachings... I was just doing it like another homework assignment and I regret that BUT now being here on the mission my testimony has been strengthed. It has so many wonderful teachings ecspecially about the early saints and all the struggles they encountered and how grateful I am for them in my life. What an awesome goal! Dad, thank you the Lord really has placed a great responsability on my shoulders and I wont fail him... thank you for your testimony. Also Alyssa it was wonderful to hear from you and all the missionary experiences you are having in your part of the world. Contiune to be a living example of this great Church and doors will surely be opened unto you. Also im glad to hear you think its great that Matt and I cry now haha!!!! That made me laugh, but really this Gospel is something else. I know its true. I cant help but feel it in great abundancy everytime I teach. I just love this Gospel and now it has such a sensitive place in my heart and that will never change. Last my dear brother Alex, I would like to personally write you but in this mass email thank you for your powerful email. Alex I cant lie I was crying pretty good in this lan house (Theres the crying again haha) but really Al I love you and thank you for that email. Words cannot describe its meaning to me, love you and your example to me... and I love everyone else who took their time this week to write me I love you all so very much.
Well now lets get onto the weeks events Im sure some of you would like some details haha. Just on the update of Brasil and Rio Claro... It hasnt stopped raining since I clicked send to my mass email last week. I left the lan house a week ago and a light rainfall began and... its still raining haha. The January season is the season of rain here in Brasil and its been coming down hard. I have really actually been enjoying it cause I have never witnessed something like this back home. I know I really will miss Brasilian rain when I come home. The clouds are huge and gray some even black! There thicker and bigger then anything I have seen... you remeber in the Lion king when Simbas father appears in the clouds... they kinda look like that and sometimes I even believe I will see Simbas father as well haha. Its really cool and im enjoying the change in wheather. The rain though has slowed the work. Its been difficult this week to teach people because the culture here is when the rain comes down... you go to sleep, even if the floods do come up haha. I remeber a particular night this last week when I was walking down the road drenched from head to toe. I could barley keep my eyes open cause the rain was coming down so hard. It was a tough day and I was thinking to myself "WOW Ben Doggett what on Earth are you doing! Are you CRAZY!? Why are you walking down this road in BRASIL, soaking wet, trying to teach people of Christ when no one this week even wants to hear you... you could be home speaking English with your family and friends, doing whatever you would like to. You could even maybe be dating a beautiful girl, or going to school to progress your future career but no your here. Why?" Well I will tell you why family and friends because Christ lives, because he suffered for me, a boy from Rexburg Idaho! HE knows me! HE loves me! and HE will never abandon me. I have a testimony that this work is the work of God. In that pouring rain a smile ran across my face as I shoved those thoughts aside faster then the had creeped into my natural mind as I turned to the spirit, and looked forward to the future and everything this mission has to offer me. When I returned home I read a talk My mom sent me, a talk given by Jeffery R. Holland entitled, "Remeber Lots Wife." For those of you who dont remember the story of Lot's family they were commanded to leave the city because of its wickedness... and eventually everyone packed up and began the journey to leave, but as they were leaving the city Lot's wife looked back, she looked back and desired those things back in the city... and you know what happened? Sadly, she was turned into a pillar of salt... Sometimes in this life we look back at some things we have done, mistakes we have made, oppurtunities we never took, or even sometimes we even look at things we could be doing in the present time much like I did that day in the rain.We have to live every moment though! As I layed in my bed that night pondering the things I had read I thought about this great missionary work and how I have the power and authority to act in the name of Christand how I only have this two years that I can bless the lives of other people as a representative of Christ! WOW that is something so much more meaningful then anything I could be doing right now in my life and i cant tell you how happy I am. I have a amazing twin and great friends who are experienceing this joy right now in their lives as well. My president has allowed me to view Bady's mission blog and wow is he such an amazing example of doing the Lords work.( Brady if you read this I love you man) My other dear friends who are serving I know are being the exact same example and blessing the lives of others. I cant name them off but you know who you are! haha Oh how great this wonderful work is! I promise though the future will be wonderful! Live every moment you can as President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said in the last General Conferece "without regrets." There really is no where else on this Earth I would rather be then Brasil.
I feel this last week my Faith as been strengthed and my purpose made even clearer. Yeah there are times when I miss you all so very much but really there is nothing better then being a missionary. I felt a little sad the other night as I realized im almost half way done. The power and love that comes from bearing His name and entering into peoples homes and bringing the spirit unto them is something I just cant describe. Fmaily and friends this Gospel is real, God lives and His son Jesus Cristo died for everyone of us... so we can all look towards the future. We can forget our past cause His atonement is real. So let us remeber, as Jeffery R. Holland taught, "Lot's wife" Lets put our whole faith in the Savior Jesus Christ since this is the first principle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Moroni taught in Ether 12:6 " You wont recieve a testimony until after the trial of you faith"- I know its not easy and we are going to have hard times but I promise in the name of Christ unto all who will read this that the blessings will come and though you may not be experienceing the happiness now it will come. There is always hope for what lies in the future as long as you have faith in Jesus Christ and study the sciptures, pray, keep the commandments, and do all you can to be what He needs you to be... You will find pure and everlasting joy without end. I love you all and my heart is full at this time. I cant describe the serenity and happiness I feel being here in Brasil... I saw last night my Brasilian sunset through the thick clouds of gray, (if you all remeber from my first Transfer) bringing to me a remembrance of hope and peace as the faint red like sky that comes from the suns light pierced the gray clouds... I testify God does live. He is right here with us everystep of the journey because he wants us to make it home back to His presence. Keep doing your best... and leave the rest unto Him...and remeber All you need is a particle of faith as Alma taught... just believe is my testimony to you all this week in whatever you may be facing... and know i love you all so very much I hope this email will help someone back home that they may begin to grow that faith within themself and look to the future trusting fully and completly in God. I hope to hear from you all soon and apoligize for the lack of detail of spirituality but my heart is so full at this moment and my happiness is undscriableable and I just desire to share my joy with you all through my mission experiences... God be with you until next time is my humble prayer. :) EU te AMO!
Ama Élder Benjamin B. Dogget
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